North-Western Phosphorous Company

In 2006, NWPC obtained state licences to develop apatite-nepheline ore deposits at the Oleniy Ruchey and Partomchorr fields in the Murmansk region.

In 2012, the construction of the mine's Stage 1 was completed, and apatite concentrate production was pre-commissioned.

Oleniy Ruchey Mine Key Parameters

Reserves: 43.3 million tonnes P2O5 (A1+B+C1 as of 1 January 2015)

In the end of 2012, the Oleniy Ruchey mine started regular shipments of apatite concentrate to the Group's production facilities in Russia.

Mine capacity: up to 2 million tonnes of apatite concentrate (upon commissioning of Stage 2). Based on integrated apatite-nepheline ore processing, pilot facilities to process nepheline concentrate and extract rare-earth elements (lanthanum, cerium and neodymium oxides) will be built up. Currently, such pilot operations are being built at Acron‘s Veliky Novgorod site.

Total project investments will be approximately USD 1 billion.

Key Stages

2006–2008: Preparing design documents for the Oleniy Ruchey mine and obtaining an approval of the state expert review board.

2009–2012: Building mining and processing facilities, an open pit and infrastructure. Apatite concentrate production was launched in late 2012.

2015: Increasing the mine capacity to 100 ktpm (1.1 mn tpa).

2014–2018: Expanding the mine capacity by building Stage 2 of the filtration and drying shop, silo warehouse for apatite and nepheline concentrate, rail line from the mine site to Titan station (roughly 39 kilometres). Commissioning of the underground mine.